Lawn Invasion – Henbit

May 21, 2015

Many of the world’s weeds didn’t start as weeds. They started as plants that spread quickly, because they were powerful enough to take over where grass was present. That is the case with Henbit, an edible weed that may have once been food, but is now known as a prolific lawn invader.

What is Henbit?

Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule) is also known as bee nettle or dead nettle, and is a member of the mint family. It is also an invasive weed that is not easily eliminated from your lawn. If it begins to grown between your other desirable plants, you will have a hard time getting rid of them without possibly causing harm to the plants you want to survive.

There are several ways to get rid of this lawn nuisance, but you will have to be quite diligent. The Henbit bloom purplish flowers and is quite resilient and durable as they can grow to be about 16 inches tall.

Pull Them and Mulch Them – If you can pull the weeds out before they flower, you will have a much better chance at getting them out of your yard for good. If you are able to mulch, you can pile a couple inches thick worth of mulch on top of the henbit so that the henbit cannot receive any sunlight and therefore is unable to grow.

Herbicide – Henbit is most likely to sprout in the fall, so if you can apply a pre-emergent herbicide before the henbit has a chance to sprout it will eliminate the problem before it has a chance to do damage. The pre-emergent herbicide will produce a chemical barricade, which will not allow the weed to grow. Often this is best left in the hands of experts.

Corn gluten meal – Corn gluten meal is a natural remedy that can be hit or miss because you will need the weather to cooperate with you. After you water over it, you will need a couple days of dry weather once the corn gluten meal is applied. However, in order for the corn gluten meal to work you will need to apply it before the seeds germinate. You will have to be diligent and timely in order for it to work, and there are many that are still unsure if corn gluten meal is very effective.

Controlling for Henbit

Of course, the best way to control for Henbit is to put your weeds in the hands of an expert. Find out about all of our weed control options at Green Lawn Fertilizing today, and let us show you how easy it is to rid your lawn of weeds and keep your bright, green lawn lasting all year.

These plants are remarkably vigorous, tolerant, and fast growing — too bad they also are unwanted. Learn the weeds most familiar to lawns in this area, the conditions that sustain them, and techniques to control them.